Al-Fatiha

Al-Fatiha (ٱلۡفَاتِحَةِ) is the first chapter of the Quran. It consists of seven verses () which consist of a prayer for guidance and mercy.

Al-Fatiha is recited in Muslim obligatory and voluntary prayers, known as salah. The primary literal meaning of the expression "Al-Fatiha" is "The Opener/The Key".

Summary
Surah Al-Fatiha is narrated in the Hadith to have been divided into two halves between God and his servant (the person reciting), the first three verses being God's half and last three being the servant's. There is disagreement as to whether the Bismillah is the first verse of the surah, or even a verse in the first place.

The chapter begins by praising God with the phrase and stating that it is God who is the lord of the worlds (verse 1/2), that He is the Most Gracious and Most Merciful (verse 2/3), and that He is and will be the true owner of everything and everyone on the Day of Judgement (verse 3/4).

"If you tried to count Allah's blessings, you would never be able to number them. Indeed, humankind is truly unfair, ˹totally˺ ungrateful".

The final three verses, which comprise the servant's half, begin with the servant stating that they worship and seek only God's help (verse 4/5), asking Him to guide them to the Sirat al-Mustaqim (the Straight Path) of those who God has been bountiful to, and not of those who have earned his anger (verses 5-6/6-7).

Most Muslim commentators have interpreted these verses in a more general sense and not referring exclusively to any specific group of people. However, some Muslim commentators believe Jews and Christians are examples of those evoking God's anger and those who went astray, respectively.

Verses and meaning
[bi-smi-llahi-r-raḥmāni-r-raḥīm(i)]

In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.

[al-ḥamdu li-llāhi rabbi-l-ʿālamīn(a)]

Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds—

[ar-raḥmāni-r-raḥīm(i)]

the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

[māliki yawmi-d-dīn(i)]

Owner of the Day of Judgement.

[iyyāka naʿbudu wa-iyyāka nastaʿīn(u)]

You we worship and You we ask for help.

[ihdina-ṣ-ṣirāṭa-l-mustaqīm(a)]

Guide us to the straight path—

[ṣirāṭa-llaḏīna anʿamta ʿalayhim ghayri-l-maḡḍūbi ʿalayhim wa-la-ḍ-ḍāllīn(a)]

the path of those You have favored, not those You are angry with or those who are astray.

Background
The most commonly accepted view about the origins of the surah is the view of [Ibn Abbas], among others, that Al-Fatiha is a Meccan surah, although some believe that it is either a Medinan surah or was revealed in both Mecca and Medina. Most narrators recorded that al-Fātiḥah was the first complete Surah revealed to Muhammad.

The name Al-Fatiha ("the Opener") could refer to the surah being the first in the Mus'hafs, the first to be recited in each rakat of salah, or to the manner of its usage in many Islamic traditions as an opening prayer. The word itself comes from the root, which means "to open, explain, disclose, conquer", etc. Al-Fatiha is also known by several other names, such as Al-Hamd (The Praise), As-Salah (The Prayer), Umm al-Kitab (Mother of the Book), Umm al-Quran (Mother of the Quran), Sab'a min al-Mathani (Seven Repeated Ones, from Quran ), and Ash-Shifa' (The Cure).

Benefits and virtues
Muslims attribute special significance to some surahs for their virtues and benefits (فضائل) described in the hadith. Acceptance of the different hadith varies between Sunni and Shia Muslims, and there is a variety of terms to classify the different levels of confirmed authenticity of a hadith. However, both Sunnis and Shia believe Al-Fatiha to be one of the greatest surahs in the Quran, and a cure for several diseases and poisons, both spiritual and mental.